Rail connecter



Feb. 2 1926. 1,571,384

' N. soL'rEsz RAIL CONNECTER Filed Feb. 16', 1925v Patented Feb. 2, i926.

UNITED STATES NICK SOLTESZ, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

RAIL CONNECTER.

Application filed February 16, 1935. Serial No. 9,395.

To all urli-0m t may concern.'

Be it known that l, Nien Soinnsz, a citizen ol the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county ot Luc;I and State ot Qhio, have invented a new and useiul Rail Connecter', which invention .is fully set iorth in the following specitication.

This invention relates to devices tor connecting together the end portions ot rails in such a ina-nner as to support them and maintain 'their longitudinal alignment.

The end portions ot rails are ordinarily connected together' by iish plates which engage the sides ol the adjoining rails and are .secured thereto by bolts and nuts, the eX- treme ends `ot' "the rails being spaced a slight distance from each other to permit unimpeded `ciqiansion `and contraction the rails under different weather conditions. illhile 'to a certain `degree 'this manner of connectlnuts to the bolt-s, all of which requires considerable time and is relatively expensive. lt has also been observed that owing to irequent jars and vibration the nuts have a tendency to become loose, which is obviously dangerous to both life and property.

Objects of this invention are to eliminate the necessity oi' using the ordinary iish plates requiring bolts and nuts to secure the end portions ol rails together; to provide a simple and inexpensive device for securing rails together, which facilitates the assembling operation and reduces the time and trouble occasioned by methods at present in use; and to provide a rail-connecting device having the new and improved features of construction and arrangement hereinafter described.

The invention is shown by way of illustrat-ion in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure l is a top plan view of the device showing the manner in which the rails are connected. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 ot Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a perspective of the end portion of a rail, and Fig.

l is an end elevation ol the connecter and rail Vsimilar to Fig. 2.

The en'ibodinient of the invention shown `for purposes ot illustration comprises a connecter A, which may be secured to the cross ties on the railway road bed by spikes l, extending through apertures 2 in the connecter. Formed in the connecter A` are oppositely arranged sockets or recesses to receive the end portions ot' the rails 3 to prevent sagging and lateral iiereo'l', although sui'licientclearance is allowed `between the ends to permit unobstructed expansion as well as contraction ot the metal under `differentweather conditions. An outstanding feature ot the invention consists in the elimination of bolts and nuts in connecting the rails in order to overcome the objections apparent in existing connecting means oit which I am aware.

Referring more particularly to the drawings;` the connecter A comprises a longitudinally elongated base plate l for supporting the end portions of the adjoining rails 3 'to thereby prevent sagging of the joint, which sagging is objectionable and particularly noticeable in iish pla-te connections aiter a comparatively short time. Along one edge of the base plate is provi-ded an integ al flange 5 which extends from such edg in gradually increasing spaced relation to the plate to adapt it to engage over one oi the base flanges ot the rail 3. Integral with and extending inwardly from the base plate, Aand disposed at approximately right angles to the base plate is a side plate G whose length is approxi-mately two-thirds oit the strip 5. Aperture-s 2 are formed in the strip 5 at suitably spaced intervals thr ugh which spikes may be driven into the ties B for securely holding the connecter thereto.

Formed centrally of the side plate 6 and projecting laterally therefrom is lan integral web 7, and integral with the web 7 is a side plate 8, which is similar in shape to the side plate 6. The side plate 8 may be somewhat shorter than the side plate 6 and the plates are arranged to engage opposite sides of the rail 3, the lower part of the rail resting on the base plate 4 and the upper part engaging the upper surface of the plates while the web of the rail projects into the space 7a between the plates. By constructing the outer side plate 6 of substantial length, it-y will be apparent that the outward thrust of movement the vehicle wheels on the track will be counteracted.

As most clearly indicated in Figure 3, the ends of the rails are recessed at 9 so that the upper and lower poitions of the rail may extend, respectively, above and beneath the web 7, and the extreme ends of the rail may thus be separated siifliciently to permit expansion of the metal under relatively wai-in weather conditions. The web 7 also constitutesfa stop for limiting the longitudinal movement of the rails in the connecter A. For securely holding the side plate 8 in place an integral inturned lip IO of substantially the same length as the plate 8 is formed on the adjacent edge of vthe base plate 4 and engages over the lower outwardly flanged or floor portion 8 of the plate S. Holes 2 are formed in the lip l() to receive the holding spikes.

ltlio the connecter A may be formed with the parts in the position indicated and thereafter the sockets cored out, for the purpose of reducing the manufacturing cost the connecter is preferably cast in such a manner that the base plate 4. extends outwardly at substantially right angles to the side plate 6., Thereafter' the base plate 4- iiiay be turned inwardly against the lower portion of the side plates and the lip l() may then be turned over the side plate 8, as indicated in Fig. 2. In order to reduce the bearing surface between the rails 3 and connecter A, a longitudinal groove ll may be formed in the side plate 6.

In securing the rails to the connecter A, the rails may first be beveled, as at 19., so that they may be inserted more readily into the sockets in the connecter. The connecter may not be attached to the cross ties B in the assembling operation so that after the rails 3 have been inserted into the sockets (assuming the opposite ends of the rails engage fixed abutments) the connecter may be pulled or forced inwardly by a suitable tool until the rails are brought into alignment when the ends thereof extend deeply into their respective sockets, the extremiwith the requirements of the statute, it is nevertheless desired that this detailed des'fription be considered merely as illustrative and not limiting, and it is to be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention especially as defined in the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is: N

l. A rail connecter comprising a base plate, a pair of side plates, one of said plates being integral with said base plate, an inwardly extending lip on said base plate in clamping relation with the other side plate, and a web integral 4with said side plates.

2. A rail connecter comprising a base plate, a pair of side plates, one of said plates beingintegral with said base plate, an inwardly extending` lipon said base plate, in clamping relation with the other side plate,

and a. web integral with said side plates, said web being of such dimensions that the wheel engaging portion of the rail is disposed thereabove.

3. The combination with rails having recesses between the wheel engaging portion and the ase position, of an integral one piece connecter therefor having opposed rail receiving sockets and a web separating said sockets and disposed 4below said wheel engaging portions thereby to enable said rails' to abut against each other, the inner side of said sockets being open thereby to permit the .connecter to be disengaged from the rails by outward movement transversely therefrom.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my naine to this specification.

NICK SOLTESZ. 

